[notts5]

Sat in the car this evening (e92 330d m sport, 140K miles) and as I sit down a very loud bang goes off! Sounds like it came from the front passenger side so went to investigate and to my uneducated eye it looks like the part of the strut which holds the bottom of the spring has snapped! (see pic)



Am i right? Does this mean replacing the entire strut? Would you go for OEM parts or aftermarket? would you do the other side as well? and what sort of bill am I looking at!?

Thanks in advance for the help, guess I'm pretty lucky it didn't happen whilst driving.

[Billyray911]

Whilst I can't see precisely what the issue is as you're asking re the suspension...With that mileage,it's one of those things unfortunately.I had a spring snap whilst driving and when it was looked at,at my local dealership (stupid move!),two struts were leaking as well as damage to the tyre,caused by the spring.
OEM was stupid money and the dealer was quoting well over £1500 (can't remember exactly).
I decided to replace the whole lot due to the suspension being old and I'd recommend the same,as yours will probably be a bit tired.
With that mileage and age,I wouldn't just replace the offending strut/spring-I'd do the lot,but this depends on your budget and how long you're thinking of keeping your car.
I went with KONI fsd struts and eibach pro springs as they weren't that expensive.There are loads of options.From memory,I think Bilstein B4 or B12 are close to oem and these can be paired with eibach pro's.
Remember to replace your bump stops as well,these will probably be knackered by now.
Oh and probably £600+

[Digitalize]

The base for the spring to sit on the damper has broken, could have caused a pretty nasty accident!

At the very least you'll need two new front dampers, maybe springs if that one is damaged. Always do pairs when it comes to suspension stuff.

If planning on keeping the car a while some upgraded spring and damper kit all round would be a worthwhile investment.

Edit - or has the spring snapped allowing the larger top part to fall over the spring seat?

[maxoutput]

Whilst your at it have a really good check over the brake pipes and wiring for damage as it looks like the spring has bounced around well under there. The tie rod looks bent but may only be up against the spring and flexing under stress, could have knackered its ball joints all the same.

[RajB]

Certainly looks like the spring has snapped as you can still see the lower spring perch (it would appear). So looks like a spring (or pair would be better) and that drop link too (potentially). Depending upon when the suspension was last refreshed it could be the best opportunity to get it all done properly as you are at quite a bit of mileage now.

[tadaska]

Has it snapped top and bottom? It looks like there is fresh looking metal at the top and at the bottom.

[Digitalize]

Looking at it now on a computer you can see the two snap points, where the metal used to be joined together, and because the spring is a 'pigtail' type where it gets smaller in diameter towards the bottom the remaining spring has slipped over the spring seat letting the car drop to the floor.

[notts5]

Thanks for all the helpful replies, this is the other side for comparison should it help


I'm going to get it to a garage when I can but if it's just a snapped spring then maybe can just replace the front two springs? Although changing the entire thing to a bilstein/eibach setup is pretty tempting

[Digitalize]

Whatever you do do not drive it, it's not roadworthy at all in that condition.

You could just do two springs but like I said if you're planning to keep it for a year or two new springs and dampers will be money well spent.

[maxoutput]

Looks like the other shock is leaking , new shock and spring time.

[RajB]

I'd be looking to replace the suspension all round tbh. Don't have to go crazy on costs but will be better in the long term.

[notts5]

Originally Posted by RajB

I'd be looking to replace the suspension all round tbh. Don't have to go crazy on costs but will be better in the long term.

This is the way I'm leaning to be honest, it works out a couple of hundred quid difference to replace all four shocks and springs in comparison to just replacing the front two. Unfortunately I don't have the time or a suitable area to do this myself so am having to pay labour.

I'm looking at bilstein b4's and eibach pros with the aim of having a ride height that isnt too different from stock and not too stiff.

[notts5]

So in the end this got sorted with a new set of m sport bumpstops, eibach pro springs and bilstein b4 sport shocks all round, and first impressions are good!

I have the part numbers if anyone has use for them

[will_68]

Looks nasty! Could have been a lot worse if it happened whilst driving..
Did you get a good price on all that/where from?

[notts5]

Originally Posted by will_68

Looks nasty! Could have been a lot worse if it happened whilst driving..
Did you get a good price on all that/where from?

Yeah I do consider myself lucky...although my wallet does not right now!
Shocks were £300 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331490380012)
Springs were ~£140 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/152046666332)
bumpstops were £70 direct from cotswolds bmw
new ARB link was £30 (the old one was bent round the spring)
all fitted for £230 by a local indy

I'm just waiting for it to settle then will get an alignment done.

[RajB]

Originally Posted by notts5

Yeah I do consider myself lucky...although my wallet does not right now!
Shocks were £300 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331490380012)
Springs were ~£140 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/152046666332)
bumpstops were £70 direct from cotswolds bmw
new ARB link was £30 (the old one was bent round the spring)
all fitted for £230 by a local indy

I'm just waiting for it to settle then will get an alignment done.

Nice. Look forward to the pics.

[E60525d]

Originally Posted by notts5

Yeah I do consider myself lucky...although my wallet does not right now!
Shocks were £300 (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331490380012)
Springs were ~£140 (http://www.ebay.de/itm/152046666332)
bumpstops were £70 direct from cotswolds bmw
new ARB link was £30 (the old one was bent round the spring)
all fitted for £230 by a local indy

I'm just waiting for it to settle then will get an alignment done.

Looks good, how's the ride quality compared to oem? More firmer?